Craigslist Killer

[Scot LaFaive]

Actually, the poster meant it as this: I thought the name was specifically
given to the latest killer, as he is THE Craigslist Killer, not just a
killer using Craigslist. For example, there's only one Jack the Ripper and
one Boston Strangler. I thought he was unique as THE Craigslist Killer.
That's what I found odd; they used the name for two different people. For
what it's worth, some sites call each "The Craigslist Killer" and some call
them "the Craigslist killer."

Scot



On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 4:09 PM, <ronbutters at aol.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ronbutters at AOL.COM
> Subject:      Re: Craigslist Killer
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The assertion was not about "punch," it was about "uniqueness," by which it
> seemed clear that the poster meant to indicate that the ENTIRE PHRASE "
> Craigslist Killer" is a proper noun. There is nothing in the data that the
> poster supplied that indicates that the journalists thought of the compound
> as anything other than a simple compound, like, say, "Milwaukee killer Floyd
> Pattern."
> ------Original Message------
> From: Mark Mandel
> Sender: ADS-L
> To: ADS-L
> ReplyTo: ADS-L
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Craigslist Killer
> Sent: Apr 22, 2009 3:21 PM
>
> On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 3:03 PM, <RonButters at aol.com> wrote:
> > Unique? How is this any different from ANY similar appositive noun that
> > indicates the way in which the killer hooked up with his victims? Would
> we
> > think "Classified Ads Killer" "unique"? "Sleezy Pick-Up Bar Killer"?
> "Chat Room
> > Killer"? For that matter, "Toilet Stall Graffiti Killer"? Sooner or later
> > there will be a Starbucks Killer, I trow.
>
> In that it uses a proper noun:
>
> Proper noun:
>  Craigslist
>  Starbucks
>  McDonald's
>  AOL
>
> Common noun phrase:
>  classified ads
>  sleezy pick-up bar
>  chat room
>  toilet stall graffiti
>
> That's the analysis. FWIW, the gut reaction of this native speaker is that
>  (Proper Noun) + killer
> has a lot more punch than
>  (common NP) + killer
> at least judging by these examples, one real and seven made-up.
>
> m a m
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org